


Red Herring

by MaskedBlackQuill



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Consensual Kink, Denial of Feelings, F/M, Light Bondage, Mental Instability, Mystery, Pining, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Stalking, Unrequited Love, Unrequited Lust, Unresolved Sexual Tension
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-09
Updated: 2020-12-09
Packaged: 2021-03-09 19:01:04
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,929
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27981183
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MaskedBlackQuill/pseuds/MaskedBlackQuill
Summary: Red Herring has stuck once again, kidnapping men from suburb pubs and bars. But this time, she has left behind clues to catch her. Harry Potter sends, Blaise Zabini to catch this witch before the Daily Prophet gets a hint. (au) (oc)
Relationships: Ginny Weasley/Blaise Zabini, Hermione Granger/Harry Potter
Kudos: 4





	Red Herring

Disclaimer: I don't any of these characters, content with playing in JKR's Wonderland.

* * *

**Red Herring**

“Ah, finally!” Stretching his arms, Auror Blaise Zabini got up from his stifling cubicle and sighed. The pungent air of the Auror Department no longer burnt his nostrils with its permanently thick nicotine haze. The older ones puffed their pipes while the younger colleagues lit thin white filter cigarettes as they argued, questioned and filed reports. In order to keep their mind running ahead of criminals, wizards and witches needed it. Zabini was content with his status as a passive smoker. 

He shook his head as he eased himself into his robes, “Now all I need is just glide into the Lift undetected. A warm shower, a bottle of fire-whiskey, some muggle jazz music and this wretched rain...enough to spend the evening with.”

Whistling softly, he bent down to pick up his briefcase, when Head Auror Harry James Potter appeared at the door and rapped his knuckles on the frame, “Zabini, Good you are still here. I need you to look into this little thing before you get off. Just...Just swing by my office when you are done.” 

The man didn’t even wait for him to reply and walked off. Behind him, the former Slytherin catch a glimpse of Dean Thomas and sighed. Then dropped his case on his worn out chair, muttering, "Ugh, talk about gliding undetected." His brows furrowed as he recalled Potter's tight face and Dean's worried look, ‘Potter looked wind up and Thomas uncomfortable, strange,’ he threw his robes aside, and hurried out after the two men.

Dean Thomas, the Head of the Misuse of Muggle Artefacts Office had been frequenting Harry’s office for nearly a week with the most peculiar case at hand. Someone or something was targeting the suburban muggle pubs, picking up men randomly. 

There have been similar reports of men gone missing about six years ago, but then the case had gone cold. These victims would return in a day or two, with no memory of where they have been, sporting thunderbolt scars on their forehead and fresh tattoos on their chest. Most of them ended up looking like a totally different person, with tousled black hair and bright green eyes, making it difficult to identify them. In short a thoroughly messed up case, that screamed of a Wizard or Witch’s handiwork. And now they were back making English men uncomfortable and worried after the dark.

The small table in the old training room was littered with mug shots of muggle men. Blaise noticed they were strong, well built and recognized few of them were even bikers. 

Thomas was briefing them as usual. He noticed Blaise studying the non-moving photographs and informed,” Yeah, it is a stretch to believe these fire-fighters, boxers, bouncers, bikers were kidnapped. Mind you there were no traces of Imperius Curse on them. The muggle officers believed and we got to agree with them, they must have gone at their free will. But the rest of it is blowing their mind off. Inspector Richards personally came down and handed over these details, saying, “This got to be one of yours, Man.” The muggle press is already calling it ‘Red Herring'. Richards looked like shit. The man could hardly stand straight, he was so beaten off by the whole thing. The Other Minister is trying hard to pass it on as a standalone thing, though the opposition party is hell bent at picking up this issue. Minister Shacklebolt wants it wrapped up for good.”

Picking up one of the evidence bags, Zabini studied the content and chuckled,” Thomas, What the hell! you guys have mucked up the labels."

"Shut up Zabini, don't you dare question our methods." Dean Thomas replied irritably.

Blaise's eyebrows arched, "Really you don’t know what this is?”

Thomas colored and snatched the evidence bag from the Slytherin’s hand and glowered, “Of course, I know. I have grown up around muggle kids,“ he groaned in frustration when Zabini’s fingers skirted through the small box, hoisting up one item after the other, “Harry, please can up ask him to stop it!”

Zabini chortled,” Trust me Mate, your neighbourhood kids won’t have ever laid their eyes on cock rings,” satisfied at the way the other man's eyes bulged out, he deadpanned, “these aren’t elastic bands, correct the label.”

Scrunching his face Dean asked innocently, “And why would someone need that?”

Zabini wiggled his eyebrows and replied suggestively, “Prolong the session, mate. Drag it through the night.”

Dean looked down at his pants then sputtered, "Geez, you gotta be kidding!"

“Zabini, quit it. This is indeed a very serious matter. Now tell me, what do you see at once,” the-Man-who-lived-twice pursed his lips and ordered.

Lifting his arms in mock surrender the Auror sat down and began summarizing right away, “About seven pairs of high end women lingerie, empty boxes of muggle contraception merchandise, ahem...three favoured lube-tubes, chocolate, spearmint and cheese… empty cases of cigarettes and lighters..hmm...you are sure these were portkeys?” he stopped when Harry dropped his head in his hands, and Dean ran his fingers through his cropped hair groaning once again.

Looking around the Slytherin narrowed his eyes and very slowly asked the two of them, “Potter, Thomas why are we having this ‘ not so’ high profile meeting in one of the old training rooms, and not in a secured interrogation room or a conference room or even at either of your offices? And why isn’t Ronald Weasley or any of his subordinates present? He is usually the one to work on cases involving Magical transport and illegal portkeys.”

Harry stared at him pointedly, while Dean’s eyes rested on a small compartment in the evidence box, refusing to meet his questioning stare.

Emptying the smaller box, the tall and dark Auror fished through its contents, then skimmed through the file compiled by Thomas’s department. When his eyes closed upon the pouch containing several strands of red hair, he insides turned, and he felt his heart jump up his throat. He looked once at Harry, then at Dean, trying to convince himself otherwise. When the others spotted the same resigned look, his blood drained out of his face.

Flopping back on his empty chair still holding the small sample ziplock bag, the man stared into the space with a blank expression. Heaving a deep sigh, he whispered densely, “I see, so you think Ginevra Weasley is behind this “isolated disturbances”? That chucks off the notion of the involvement of a Deatheater.”

When neither of them said anything in return, he heaved a long sigh, “Yeah, It's better, we don’t have Ron around. He would have blown up the building right away.”

Dean pursed his lips and pointed out to Harry, “Look, mate, Even Zabini came to the same conclusion. And he doesn’t even know Ginny that well.”

Harry flicked his eyes at Blaise but the Slytherin didn’t look back. He pretended to read the case file with renewed interest. The Head Auror nodded his head as he picked up the conversation, leaning back in his rickety chair, “The physical samples, the witness descriptions..the new recordings from the security cameras...though very few, the reports from the Muggle medical facilities as compiled by the muggle police…and finally this...” flailing his hand at the pouch full of red strands. Zabini didn’t have the heart to inform the two, that those thick twisted wiry hair belonged to the pubic region.

“Mention a red haired athletic built young woman in her late twenties to be behind all these incidents. So, she hunts for men in these joints, pubs and dance bars...to have fun...sleep around...and then…” Blaise cut in, giving Harry some time to assimilate..

But Dean countered, “Don’t make it sound like a normal thing. Two of the bikers are suffering from Reducto Spells and six men are struggling with bat wings in place of their ears, we don't need an expert to tell us, that’s from the Bag Bogey Hex. We had to obliviate everyone in the facility just to keep in hushed up. Sixteen others suffer from the after effects of Polyjuice Potion.Their reverse transformations were incomplete. And all of them have the words, “The Chosen One” tattooed on their shaved chests. By the look of it…”

This time Harry spoke into the thick dusty air of the old room, “She is making them drink Polyjuice so that they can turn into my replica...Dean, please show him the other box of evidence you withheld from reporting, for the sake of both Ron and me.”

Thomas gently passed a longish box double the size of the standard wand box. Flicking his eyes at both Potter and Thomas, Zabini picked it up, flipped open the lid, and gasped with wide eyes, “Merlin’s balls, Potter! What the Hell!” The box was filled with about fifty sets of round rimmed powerless glasses, Gryffindor ties and scarves and a bag full of wooden splinters. 

Dean dropped his voice and muttered, “She is dressing them up like Potter, having her way with them. The muggle officials used the term ‘fuck like bunnies’,tattooing those words, collecting their semen and then letting them go. I don’t think she realises she is raping these men. I don't think these men can even wrap their minds around the fact anymore.”

Harry explained in a defeated voice, pointing at the bag full of wooden splinters, “Those are the remains of my Firebolt. I didn’t recognize it before," pointing at the second smaller bag with a single piece of wood, he said, "Back then we were just thinking it to be somebody else’s firebolt, most probably the suspect's. Until that little sample was left behind. I saw my initials etched on it.The last victim had it in his pocket when he returned back to his family yesterday morning. I still remember carving those letters with the pocket knife Sirius gave me. Lost the broomstick during a death eaters’ ambush on my way to the Burrows before my seventh birthday. It was long back. I don’t know how she got her hands on it.”

"But I suppose you two have already noticed it, there is a pattern. She has evolved," Dean suggested.

Harry mulled over the idea and said, “No physical evidence, no fingerprint of the unidentified suspect was found on the bodies of the victims. Preliminary medical examination just mentioned the victims to have undergone numerous episodes of sexual intercourse, during the period of them reported missing. But this was the status before seven years. We didn't have leads. No recognizable trace of magic to follow. Back then, we were forced to believe, a death eater behind the whole thing... Did you say the muggle forensics collected it from the…

Dean nodded, “Yup, it was stapled in the inside seam of the last man’s underwear. It is not a mistake, it is deliberately done. This box of glasses, ties and scarves, just thank god she didn’t put Hogwarts logo on it... these are souvenirs, serial offenders have this urge to collect things from their victims.She is making them wear it and then take them off afterwards.This time, She must have planned to nub fifty men in the beginning. But it’s strange she stopped at thirty and left it with her last victim. Yup, look here thirty sets of these are used and the rest twenty are brand new.”

Blaise asked, finding his voice back, “You mentioned some pattern.”

Harry answered on behalf of Dean, “She has moved from targeting white Caucasian males to picking her victims among the darker skinned population.”

Clearing his throat, Thomas got up and nodded without meeting the other’s eyes, “Well, then I better leave. This case has hit close. She was always quite stubborn...She was always pretty obsessed about you...but all this, This is surely not about me... I mean, we weren't really together for a long time. Harry, I am trying to keep it away from Percy and the Twins. We are just lucky that Ron is currently out of the country, but you know how nosy the Daily Prophet gets.”

Zabini waited for the wizard to leave then sneered at his superior, sending a fresh set of wandless locking and silencing spells at the closed door, “Why drag me into this mess, Potter?”

Harry leaned forward and asked in a non noise tone, “ Think Blaise, look at the pattern and the change in behavior. She leaves behind evidence. She escalates and moves on to taking away dark skinned men.”

“Ah, so you got me alone, on your team, to play the undercover dude. Too thick even for you, Potter. I don’t move in those circles. Even a kid will be able to tell me apart.And don't you dare suggest Polyjuice Potion.”

“Stop whining! Pay attention, Blaise. Look at the pattern.”

“There is nothing else in there, you are over imagining the whole thing. Deep down you are sorry for breaking her heart all those years back. You had mucked it up and moved on without casting a backward glance,” Zabini retorted, desperately trying to get a rise out of the Gryffindor.

“No, Blaise, that’s not what the pattern says. She is no longer hunting for me. She is trying to find you in her own twisted way,” Harry shouted trying to make the other man understand.

“Can you hear yourself? What hogwash! Have you gone bloody mental,” Blaise felt his heart ready to burst out of his chest as he screamed back.

Looking at the man, Harry swallowed hard and said, “I want you to take it up, because you love her and I don’t.”

Slapping his hands at the table the Slytherin pushed his chair off, sending it backward and began pacing like a caged animal. He gritted his teeth each time his eyes caught Potter’s pitiful face.

At length, the tall man stopped right in front of his superior and asked tersely, “But even today, she wants you. All these are messages, this box, the tattoo, all of them are meant for you.”

Getting up from his chair, Potter shoved his hands inside his robe pockets and sighed, “Yes, but this time, I won't be going. Last time, we thought we had the suspect cornered. But she slipped off. I didn’t get a good look on her and she was using a voice changer. Before taking off she told me, ‘nice ring.’ She was wearing a Death eater’s robes and mask, but I think they aren’t real.”

“But now, you will force me to go instead? Of course you can do that, being my superior and all, “ Zabini spat.

The other man watched him for a while then whispered, “No, I am requesting you to go and find her, Blaise. Ginny has been missing since her graduation. You will remember how we screened the whole area where she dropped off that sailor from Southampton. But no, apart from her broken wand, we couldn't find anything else. We wrongly assumed this death eater was keeping GInny captive. But all this suggests, she has been working all by herself. I know you love her. Right now, she is close to ‘the breaking point’ she needs someone to show that love. She needs it the most. And only you can give it to her.”

“Potter, please, don’t.” Shaking his head, Blaise rocked on his heels.

“Blaise, I know what happened during the eighth year Celebration Ball at Hogwarts. I know she was with you at Hogsmeade Village,” he said.

Blaise opened and closed his mouth a couple of times, then muttered looking away, “I don’t know from where you got that idea...”

“I don’t hear you denying it either…” Harry cut him off.

Throwing his hands in the air, Zabini half shouted, “Alright, it was this one time thing. I had a crush on her. We all were drunk, happy, celebrating, alive and glad that Voldemort was finally gone. I didn’t force her. It was consensual. We were too high to even remember our names. I thought she didn’t remember any of it,” then narrowed his eyes and countered, “How did you come to know?”

For the first time since the meeting Potter’s lips curled, “Like you said we were all drunk, happy, relieved... glad to get back to our respective lives, celebrate the Fall of Voldemort. While you two were preoccupied with each other in the shed, We, that is Hermione and me,”his cheeks colored a bit, and he cleared his throat, “we were inside that wardrobe...pretty preoccupied.”

The two men stood staring at their feet for a long while, then Zabini picked up a still shot of Ginny caught on one of the security cameras from a muggle pub, and asked finally making up his mind, “Where do you want me to start with?”

Harry arched his brow, but the Slytherin finished,” Like Thomas said, we better get to her, before the Prophet sniffs her out. And before Weasleys get a wind of it and we have a brood of ginger men breaking our neck with murder written in their eyes.”

“All right, let’s go over all the things once again,” pulling his chair, the Head Auror was about to sit down, when there was a loud knock on the close and someone from the other side, shouted, “Potter, I know you are inside. Let me in. I can help and I got Malfoy with me.”


End file.
